Friction-clutch



(No Model.)

W. N. RUMELY.

- FRICTION CLUTCH. I No. 428,634. Patented May 27, 1890.

I51, I J F a J- l r? J! U i I v I Witnefisses: 1 Inventor a i Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM N. RUMELY, OF LA FORTE, INDIANA.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,634, dated May 27, 1890.

Application filed January 6, 1890.

, lowingis a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in friction-clutches designed for use in connection with mechanism employed for the transmission of rotary motion.

The improvements will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the, accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 is a face View of a friction-clutch exemplifying my improvements, the spiderhub appearing in vertical transverse section in the plane of line b of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, avertical diametrical section of the clutch in the plane of line a of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section in the plane of line 0 of Fig. 1, exhibiting the arrangement of the guide-bolt; Fig. 4, a face View, same direction of View as Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale, of portion of the spiderrim at one of the guide-bolts; and Fig. 5, a face View, direction of view as in Fig. 1,illustrating a modification employing four friction-shoes instead of two, as assumed in the other figures.

In the drawings, (ignoring Fig. 5 for the present,) A indicates the shaft in connection with which the clutch is to be employed; B, one member of the clutch rigidly secured thereto, this clutch member having the form of a simple pulley keyed to the shaft, and having an internally-bored rim to be engaged by the friction-shoes of the clutch; C, a spider loose on the shaft, this spider consisting of a hub and arms and a rim, which rim is disposed within the friction-rim, the hub of the spider running against the hub of the friction-rim D, the hub of the spider, the same projecting outwardly from the face of the general structure, and being fitted for free rotation on the shaft, as heretofore mentioned; E, a gear rigidly secured to the outer end of the spiderhub, being fitted externally thereon and secured by means of keys; F, keys and key- Ways employed in securing the gear to the spider-hub; G, a collar fitted to slide on the spider-hub and arranged for connection with Serial No. 336,022. (No model.)

suitable mechanism for effecting such sliding motion, the exemplification showing the collar as being grooved for the reception of an ordinary shifting-fork; H, friction-shoes pivoted to the spider and lying against the face thereof and adapted for movement to and from the friction-rim; J, the actual friction elements of these shoes, the same consisting, preferably, of wooden pads secured to the shoes, which pads have a segmental form adapted to properly fit the bore of the friction-rim; K, the pivots which unite the friction-shoes to the spider, the axes of these pivots being parallel to the axis of the main shaft, the disposition of these pivots being such that two radii of the friction-rim one cutting the heel of the friction-surface J, or that portion of the surface nearest the pivot of its shoe, and the other cutting the pivot-will be separated not less than ten degrees; L, a Y-bolt with its shank secured to the shoe and with its head projecting radially inward toward the spider-hub; M, a

link having its outer end pivoted to the head of the Y-bolt, and having its inner end similarly pivoted to lugs formed upon collar G, it being understood, of course, that the clutch is provided with two shoes, and that the description here given in the singular is to be taken as applying in the plural; N, the pivotbolts at the ends of this link; 0, nuts on the shank of the Y-bolt, these nuts engaging a lug on the shoe, through which the shank of the Y-bolt passes loosely, one nut engaging each face of said log; P, a slot in the spider to the rear of the shoe, this slot being on a circle struck from the pivot K, and Q a guidebolt'freely engaging this slot and screwing into the shoe, the head of the bolt engaging behind the spider, as will be clearly understood from Fig. 3.

It will be readilyunderstood that the shifting of the collar G on the spider-hub causes the links M to act as toggles and serves in oscillating the shoes upon their pivots and in applying or releasing the frictional arrangement between the pads and the friction-rim. As the shoes oscillate they are prevented from undue movement sidewise by the action of the guide-bolts in the slots. It is obvious that the slots may be in the shoes and the guide-bolts screwed into the spider-a mere reversal of the construction indicated. As the shoes move inwardly in the act of releasing, it is obvious that the part of the pad nearest its pivot will have less areal move ment than will the part of the pad farthest from the pivot. The ordinary result of this unequal areal motion would be that the joint of friction contact would open unequally, the heel of the pad bearing the hardest and the longest; but the location of the pivot K, as described, practically overcomes the inequalities referred to, the effect being that while the movement of the two ends of the pad are unequal the opening effect is nevertheless practically equal.

The proper contact of the pads can be sccurecl as wear takes place by adjusting the nuts 0, the Y-bolts and nuts forming amueh more satisfactory means of adjustment than would be found in ordinary devices employed for lengthening and shortening the links M, the present arrangement securing for the linlcs M a constant length.

The present device presents special merits where the clutch is to be used as a means for transmitting motion between a shaft and a gear loose with reference to the shaft, as in Fig. 2. Gear E may be a toothed gear, or a sprocket-wheel, or a bolt-wheel, all of which are equivalents of each other in the present connection. The gear is fitted to and firmly keyed directly to the exterior of the spiderhub, the spider hub projecting entirely through the gear, so that itis adapted to bear directly against a journal-box, which may support the shaft at that point. The spiden hub may thus abut with one face against such box and with its other face against the hub of the friction-rim.

In Fig. 1 the clutch is shown as provided with its two pads carried by two friction-shoes. 'Forcertain classes of extra-heavy work it may be desirable to subdivide the friction-surfaces of the pads. This may be done as indicated in Fig. 5, the friction -pad being divided, the right-hand portion remaining as before, while the lefthand portion is carried by a second pivoted shoe, which receives its motion from the other shoe through the medium. of the gear-like toothR. This arrangement, it will be noticed, leaves the toggle sys' tem in its ordinary simple form, and simply adds to the general system the second shoe carrying its friction-pad. It will of course be understood that Fig. 5 illustrates but onehalf the arrangement, the diametrically-opposite part of the clutch being assumed as of similar construction.

I claim as my invention 1. In a friction-clutcl1,tl1e combination, substantially as set forth,of a bored clutch member, a spider, friction-shoes pivoted to the spider, ashifting collar at the hub of the spider, a Y-bolt adjustably secured by nu ts to each shoe, and linkspivoted at their outer ends to the Y-bolts and at their inner ends to said collar.

' 2. lnafriction-clutch, the combination,substantially as set forth, of a shaft, a bored clutch member provided with a hub and rigidly securcd to said shaft, a spider, frictioushoes carried by the spider, a shifting collar concentric with the centerof the spider, mechanism connecting said shifting collar with said shoes and adaptcdto engage and disengage the shoes with and from the friction-rim by the movement of said collar, and a gear at the center of the spider outside said collar, the hub of said spider being loose on said shaft, and extending from the hub of the friction rim through said shifting collar and through said gear and having said gear rigidly securcd to it.

3. In a friction-clutch, the combination, sub: stantially as set forth, of abored clutch member, a spider, friction shoes pivoted to said spider, mechanism for moving said frictionshoes on their pivots and engaging and disengaging their friction-surfaces with and from the friction-rim, and a second set of frictionshoes pivoted to the spider and moved by tooth engagement with said first-mentioned shoes.

WILLIAM N. RUMELY.

Witnesses:

WM. 11'. IIAcoAnn, Wit. 55. James. 

